Basic Laws of Israel:
The President of the State

(1964)

2. The place of residence of the President of the
State shall be Jerusalem.

Election and period of tenure

3. The President of the State shall be elected by
the Knesset for five years.

Eligibility

4. Every Israel national who is a resident of Israel
is qualified to be a candidate for the office of
President of the State. A person who has held office
as President of the State for two successive periods
shall not be a candidate in the election for the
period immediately following.

Date of election

5. The election of the President of the State shall
be held not earlier than ninety days and not later
than thirty days before the expiration of the period
of tenure of the President in office. If the place of
the President of the State falls vacant before the
expiration of his period of tenure, the election shall
be held within forty-five days from the day on which
such place falls vacant. The Chairman of the Knesset,
in consultation with the Deputy Chairman, shall fix
the day of the election and shall notify it to all the
Members of the Knesset in writing at least twenty days
in advance. If the day of the election does not fall
in one of the session terms of the Knesset, the
Chairman of the Knesset shall convene the Knesset for
the election of the President of the State.

Proposal of candidates

6. (a) When the day of the election has been fixed,
any ten or more Members of the Knesset may propose a
candidate. The proposal shall be in writing and shall
be delivered to the Chairman of the Knesset, together
with the consent of the candidate in writing or by
telegram, not later than ten days before the day of
the election. A member of the Knesset shall not
sponsor the proposal of more than one candidate.

(b) The Chairman of the Knesset shall notify all
the members of the Knesset, in writing, not later than
seven days before the day of the election, of every
candidate proposed and of the names of the Members of
the Knesset who have proposed him, and shall announce
the candidates at the opening of the meeting at which
the election is held.

Voting

7. The election of the President of the State shall
be by secret ballot at a meeting of the Knesset
assigned only for that purpose.

Election by majority of votes

8. The candidate who has received the votes of a
majority of the Members of the Knesset is elected. If
no candidate receives such a majority, a second ballot
shall be held. If there is no majority as aforesaid at
the second ballot, either, voting shall be continued.
At the third and every subsequent ballot, the
candidate who at the preceding ballot received the
smallest number of votes shall no longer stand for
election. The candidate who at the third or any
subsequent ballot receives a majority of the votes of
the Members of the Knesset who take part in the voting
and vote for one of the candidates is elected. If two
candidates receive the same number of votes, voting
shall be repeated.

Declaration of allegiance

9. The President-Elect shall make and sign before
the Knesset the following declaration of allegiance:

"I pledge myself to bear allegiance to the State
of Israel and to its laws and faithfully to carry out
my functions as President of the State.".

Making of declaration and commencement of period of tenure

10. The President-Elect shall make his declaration of
allegiance and begin to hold office upon the
expiration of the period of tenure of the preceding
President of the State. If the place of the preceding
President of the State falls vacant before the
expiration of his period of tenure, the
President-Elect shall make his declaration of
allegiance as soon as possible after his election and
shall begin to hold office upon making his declaration
of allegiance.

Functions and powers

11. (a) The President of the State -

(1) shall sign every Law, other than a Law
relating to its powers;

(2) shall take action to achieve the
formation of a Government and shall receive
the resignation of the Government in
accordance with Law;

(3) shall receive from the Government a
report on its meetings;

(4) shall accredit the diplomatic
representatives of the State, shall receive
the credentials of diplomatic representatives
sent to Israel by foreign states, shall
empower the consular representatives of the
State and shall confirm the appointments of
consular representatives sent to Israel by
foreign states;

(5) shall sign such conventions with foreign
states as have been ratified by the Knesset;

(6) shall carry out every function assigned
to him by Law in connection with the
appointment and removal from office of judges
and other office-holder's.

(b) The President of the State shall have power
to pardon offenders and to lighten penalties by the
reduction or commutation thereof.

(c) The President of the State shall carry out
every other function and have every other power
assigned to him by Law.

Counter-signature

12. The signature of the President of State on an
official document, other than a document connected
with the formation of a Government, shall require the
countersignature of the Prime Minister or of such
other Minister as the Government may decide.

Immunity with regard to discharge of functions

13. (a) The President of the State shall not be
amenable to any court or tribunal, and shall be immune
from any legal act, in respect of anything connected
with his functions or powers.

(b) The President of the State shall not, in
giving evidence, have to disclose anything which came
to his knowledge in the discharge of his functions as
President of the State.

(c) The immunity of the President of the State
under this section shall continue after he has ceased
to be President of the State.

Immunity from criminal proceedings

14. The President of the State shall not be
criminally prosecuted. The period during which, by
virtue of this section, the President of the State
cannot be prosecuted for an offence shall not be
counted in calculating the period of prescription of
that offence.

Evidence

15. If the President of the State is required to give
evidence, his evidence shall be taken at such place
and time as shall be determined with his sanction.

Salary and other payments

16. The salary of the President of the State, and
other payments to be made to him during or after his
period of tenure, including payments to be made to his
survivors, shall be fixed by resolution of the
Knesset, which may empower the Finance Committee in
that behalf. Resolutions under this section shall be
published in Reshumot.

President to hold no other office

17. (a) Save with the sanction of the House Committee
of the Knesset, the President of the State shall not
hold any post, or exercise any function, other than
the post and functions of President of the State.

(b) The President of the State shall be exempt
from all compulsory service.

Departure for abroad

18. The President of the State shall not leave the
territory of the State save with the sanction of the
Government.

Resignation

19. The President of the State may resign his office
by submitting a letter of resignation to the Chairman
of the Knesset. The letter of resignation shall not
require a countersignature. The place of the President
of the State shall become vacant forty-eight hours
after the letter of resignation reaches the Chair-man
of the Knesset.

Removal of President from office

20. (a) The Knesset may, by resolution, remove the
President of the State from office if it finds that he
is unworthy of his office owing to conduct unbecoming
his status as President of the State.

(b) The Knesset shall not remove the President of
the State from office, save following a complaint
brought before the House Committee by at least twenty
members of the Knesset and upon the proposal of the
House Committee passed by a three-quarters majority of
the members of the Committee. A resolution by the
Knesset to remove the President from office shall
require a three-quarters majority of the Members of
the Knesset.

(c) The House Committee shall not propose the
removal of the President of the State from office
before he has been given an opportunity to refute the
complaint in accordance with procedure prescribed by
the Committee with the approval of the Knesset, and
the Knesset shall not resolve to remove the President
of the State from office before he has been given an
opportunity to be heard in accordance with procedure
prescribed by the House Committee with the approval of
the Knesset.

(d) The President of the State may be represented
before the House Committee and before the Knesset by
an authorised representative. A Member of the Knesset
shall not act as the representative of the President.
The House Committee and the Knesset may summon the
President of the State to be present at proceedings
under this section.

(e) Proceedings of the Knesset under this section
shall be taken at a meeting, or successive meetings,
assigned solely for that purpose. The proceedings
shall begin not later than twenty days after the
resolution of the House Committee. The time of their
beginning shall be notified by the Chairman of the
Knesset to all the Members of the Knesset, in writing,
at least ten days in advance. If the beginning of the
proceedings does not fall in one of the session terms
of the Knesset, the Chairman of the Knesset shall
convene the Knesset for the proceedings.

Vacation of post for reasons of health

21. (a) The Knesset may, by resolution passed by a
majority of its members, declare that for reasons of
health the President of the State is permanently
unable to carry out his functions.

(b) The Knesset shall not pass a resolution as
aforesaid save upon the proposal of the House
Committee passed by a two-thirds majority of its
members on the strength of a medical opinion given in
accordance with rules prescribed by the Committee.

(c) If the Knesset resolves as aforesaid, the
place of the President of the State shall become
vacant on the day of the resolution.

Temporary cessation of exercise of office

22. (a) The President of the State shall temporarily
cease to carry out his functions and exercise his
powers -

(1) if he leaves the territory of the State -
from the time of his leaving until his

(2) if he notifies the House Committee that
for reasons of health he is temporarily
unable to carry out his functions and the
Knesset Committee approves his notification
by a majority of votes -- from the time of
the approval of the notification until the
expiration of the period fixed by the
Committee in its resolution or until the
President of the State notifies the House
Committee that he is no longer unable to
carry out his functions, whichever is the
earlier date;

(3) if the House Committee, by a two-thirds
majority of its members, on the strength of a
medical opinion given in accordance with
rules prescribed by the Committee, resolves
that for reasons of health the President of
the State is temporarily unable to carry out
his functions -- from the passing of the
resolution until the expiration of the period
fixed by the House Committee in the
resolution or until the House Committee
resolves that the President is no longer
unable to carry out his functions.

(b) The House Committee shall not, under
subsection (a)(2) or (3), fix a period exceeding three
months. It may extend the period, without a break, up
to a maximum of three additional months. Any further
extension shall require a resolution of the Knesset
passed by a majority of the Members of the Knesset
upon the proposal of the House Committee.

Interim President and Acting President

23. (a) If the place of the President of the State
has fallen vacant, and so long as the new President
has not yet begun to hold office, the Speaker of the
Knesset shall hold office as Interim President of the
State.

(b) During a period in which the President of the
State has temporarily ceased to carry out his
functions and exercise his powers, the Speaker of the
Knesset shall hold office as Acting President of the
State.

(c) While holding office as Interim President of
the State or Acting President of the State, the
Speaker of the Knesset shall carry out the functions
assigned to the President of the State by Law and
shall exercise the powers vested in the President of
the State by Law.

Notices in Reshumot

24. (a) The Speaker of the Knesset shall publish a
notice in Reshumot as to -

(1) the commencement of the tenure of the
President of the State;

(2) the vacancy of the place of the President
of the State;

(3) the commencement and termination of the
tenure of the Speaker of the Knesset as
Acting President of the State under section
22(a)(2) and (3).

(b) The Prime Minister shall publish a notice in
Reshumot as to the President's leaving the territory
of the State and as to his return.

Law not to be affected by emergency regulations

25. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law,
this Law cannot be varied, suspended, or made subject
to conditions, by emergency regulations.

Repeal

26. (a) There are hereby repealed -

(1) sections 2(c), 6 and 7 of the Transition
Law, 5709-1949(1);

(2) the State President (Tenure) Law,
5712-1951(2);

(b) The State President, Government Members and
Chief Rabbis of Israel (Fixing of Salaries) Law,
5711-1950(3), shall no longer apply to the salary of
the President of the State or to payments due to him
or his survivors.

Transitional provision

27. The President of the State who was elected by the
Knesset on the 27th Iyar, 5723 (21st May, 1963) shall
be deemed to have been elected, and to hold office,
under this Law.

* Passed by the Knesset on the 6th Tamuz, 5724 (16th
June 1964) and Published in Sefer Ha-Chukkim No. 428
of the 15th Tammuz, 5724 (25th June, 1964), p. 118;
the Bill and an Explanatory Note were published in
Hatza'ot Chok No. 543 of 5723, p. 136.